Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Oceania Hockey Federation Inc. held on 28 th Feb 2013 at Labrador Hockey Centre on the Gold Coast Qld. Meeting commenced at 1pm Opening and welcome President Pam Elgar welcomed the delegates and observers to the meeting by opening the meeting with a traditional Maori welcome message. Present Pam Elgar (President), Kaluwin Potuan (Vice President & PNG delegate), Bob Claxton (Secretary General/Treasurer), Jenny Bowtell (Vanuatu delegate), Epeli Tukula (Fiji proxy delegate), Onis Namu (Vanuatu observer), David Peebles (Samoa proxy delegate), Peter Robinson (Vanuatu observer), Mark Anderson (Australia delegate), Norman Same (Australia observer), Hilary Poole (New Zealand delegate), Ian Francis (New Zealand observer),gill Gemming (Continental Development Officer). Apologies Derek Wilshere (Life member), Robin Mitchell (Fiji) Confirmation of Financial status of members All members present at the meeting are financial Proxies David Peebles (Samoa), Epeli Tukula (Fiji) Minutes of 2012 Annual General Meeting held on 26 Feb 2012 The minutes of the 2012 Annual General Meeting are a True record Moved Kaluwin Potuan Seconded Bob Claxton Carried President's Report E nga mana e nga reo e nga hau e wha Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. To those of standing, to the languages across the Oceania region Greetings, greetings to you all. The year from 1 January 2012 31 December 2012 has been a full and important one with significant milestones. We really have two clear functions: 1 Develop Hockey within the Continent 2 Hold Continental events that allow our National teams to compete on the world stage. Our ability within Oceania is contingent upon the support of all our National Associations and the funding we are able to attract.
This report will cover my specific responsibilities/activities in leading us to the achievement of those aims. I will not review the main points covered in either the Treasurers report or Continental Development Officers report. BACKGROUND Our current members are: Hockey Australia Hockey New Zealand Fiji Hockey Federation Samoa Hockey Federation Tonga Hockey Federation Papua New Guinea Hockey Federation Vanuatu Hockey Federation Inactive members: American Samoa Hockey Federation Solomon Islands Hockey Federation We sit to the side of the relationship between FIH and National Associations and work as a voice for and advocate of the National Associations as well as Oceania Continent as a region at the Executive Board of FIH. ACHIEVEMENTS Strategic Plan/Operational Plan The 5 FIH strategic priorities were translated into objectives in our strategic plan and we committed via the MOU to achieve specific targets for 2012. Triple the revenue Raise the profile of the FIH and Hockey Enhance and rationalise competition Close the performance gap Strengthen governance By and large we achieved what we set out to do. FIH as President I have attended three Executive Board meetings of FIH during 2012, Barcelona in March, the Olympic Games London in July, and finally Congress in Malaysia in November. These meetings continue to give Oceania an opportunity to ensure our voice is held by the governing body of our sport. The Olympics in particular showed our officials and membership provide significant benefits to the world with significant appointments from Oceania with officials. These included two Jury of Appeal members an Assistant TD three Umpire Managers, and several umpires both male and female. Significant contributions continue to be made by Oceania representatives on FIH committees and panels and we currently have: Ken Read Chair, Sarah Garnett Competitions committee, Jason McCracken Umpire and Technical committee, Ramesh Patel, Richard Aggiss Rules Committee, Don Davies Judicial Commission I am hopeful at the next round of appointments in March 2013 this group will be expanded to include members in the Athletes and Appointment committee. Congress - this was a wake-up call for us in Oceania. Renita Garard, Australia was up for re-election and unfortunately was not re-elected. I wish to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the superb contribution that Renita has made to FIH and by extension Oceania in her original role as Chair of the Athletes committee, and then subsequently as an elected member of FIH Executive Board where she took on the
portfolio of Risk and Audit committee. Her contribution and advocacy of sound governance and Oceania needs cannot be under estimated. On a more personal note, I wish to acknowledge the friendship, support and advice received over many walks and late night discussions while away on FIH business. Whilst we have quality people in a range of committees it is important we return to having a minimum of two people at the Executive Board table. We need to work towards the next Congress to achieve this aim. I must also take the time to acknowledge Hilary Poole CEO of Hockey New Zealand for the excellent address she gave at Congress on event management. It was noted as one of the best and most useful addresses at Congress to member countries. Financials the financial reports show we have made process in this area. The Treasurers report provides details in this area. Growing funds independent from FIH and the NOCs is still a challenge and work continues in this space. It continues to be difficult for our Pacific Island members to receive funding from their NOC s and the difficulty provided by the recent tsunamis emphasises how fickle the funding streams can be. Administration This continues to improve and CDO report covers the extremely busy year she has had. Planning for all our members is now beginning earlier and earlier in the year and this is resulting in greater outcomes and value in the CDO visits to each country. Thank you to all members and their volunteers who continue to keep in touch and ensure we are working to meet your needs as members. We welcomed to our team during the year David Peebles and Graham Child who are now contributing to the work of Oceania as our Competitions committee. Thanks also must go to our Officiating committee led by Craig Gribble for the sterling work they are doing. Competition This is covered in full in the CDO report however I would be remiss if I did not mention two key points. Firstly the continued success of both the Australian and New Zealand men s and women s teams on the world stage. This is of vital importance to Oceania. Congratulations to those teams for continuing to fly the flag for us. We are proud of you. Secondly, the inaugural World League round three hosted and won by Fiji men and women in their respective competitions. The opportunity for another member of Oceania to play in competition outside Oceania cannot be under estimated. We were again fortunate to welcome our President Mr Leandro Negre to our part of the world, firstly to Champions Trophy in Melbourne where Australia took Gold and then on to Fiji for the inaugural World League Round 3. This provided another opportunity for him to meet with all the Pacific Island members attending and share his vision but also hear their needs. CHALLENGES 2015 is a milestone we need to continue to work towards. We have an opportunity to ensure that Hockey remains in the Pacific Games programme. We need to ensure we get six national teams from the Pacific island s playing at this tournament as well as support Papua New Guinea with the development of their first turf and the development of officials for this tournament. The Future Increased collaboration between FIH and other CFs will ensure we all benefit from Global learning. In particular developing stronger ties with Asia will help provide competition to our smaller Pacific Island nations. Increasing the collaboration within our Continent will ensure Oceania can share the knowledge from the two larger member countries of Australia and New Zealand to ensure the smaller Island members develop and strengthen hockey within the region.
Each member country has its own particular focus and strategies as well as its own challenges. As with every playing nation you are only as strong as the quality of the people engaged be they paid or volunteers. We are indeed grateful for the many who tirelessly give of their time and skills to help develop Hockey within Oceania. The 2013 year is set to be another challenging year. I wish to thank all our National Associations and their representatives for their hard work. Australia and New Zealand I thank you for your ongoing support and ask that it continues. Last but certainly not least I particular wish to thank Kaluwin, Bob, and Gill for their enormous contribution. Report taken as read - Carried Secretary General/ Treasurer's Report Administration and Governance Constitution The Constitution has been updated to include an additional Board member. The other changes were to align our statues with the requirements of FIH, this included the election cycle and change in terminology. The latest versions have been circulated to members. Immediately after the AGM the Constitution is required to be submitted to ASIC and Victoria Consumer Affairs for final approval. Incorporation Act Late in 2012 the Victorian Government changed the Incorporations Act that has an impact on us. The Act was changed so that not longer could there be a separation of the Public Officer and the Secretary also the registered address not longer has to be in Victoria. This act now says the Public Officer will be the Secretary. Until now Greg Hill, Finance Manager Hockey Australia, has been the OHF Public Officer and the Hockey Australia Office has been our registered office. Greg has done a fantastic job filling this voluntary role and the Board of OHF appreciate his efforts and thank him for filling the role. While we remain Incorporated in Victoria the Secretary General role will need to be reside in Australia under the new conditions of the act. We will now notify Victorian Consumer Affairs and change the Public Office to the Secretary General and the new address. Committees Officiating Chaired by Craig Gribble this committee has been working for over 12 months and has successfully engaged both Australia and New Zealand in supporting the promotion and development of Umpires and Officials within Oceania. One key area the committee has been focused on is identifying young talent and providing opportunities so they can be fast tracked to international events Competition Chaired by David Peebles this committee was formed in August 2012 with the aim of improving the management and development of Oceania tournaments. One of the key challenges is to develop a competition calendar that fits into the FIH qualification timing requirements as well as our regional requirements. The other area of significances is development of Hosting models that return positive outcomes for all parties. FIH Congress The Bi-Annual Congress was held in Kuala Lumpur on 3 rd November 2012. This was attended by President Pam Elgar, Secretary General Bob Claxton and CDO Gill Gemming from OHF. Attending from our member Nations were Hilary Poole CEO Hockey N.Z., Renita Garard and Ken Read Hockey Australia as well as Sue and David Peebles representing Masters. During the Forum Hilary did an outstanding presentation on the issues on hosting events. Pam Elgar and Renita Garard are both FIH Executive Board members. Renita was up for election and unfortunately did not get elected. This is a significant blow for Oceania to now only have one
representative on the FIH Board. Prior to the next Congress we need to work to have a candidate ready and do the foundation work to ensure their election. Awards FIH Honorary Member - Peter Cohen (AUS) At the FIH Congress, held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2012, Peter Cohen (AUS) became an FIH Honorary Member. This recognised his outstanding contribution and services to hockey President s Award - Hockey New Zealand The President s Award may be awarded to individuals who are not members of the FIH for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect, or services that have had an indisputable beneficial effect for hockey at international level. No more than 10 awards during a two-year period Etienne Glichitch Award - Hockey Australia The Etienne Glichitch Medal is awarded by the Executive Board once every two years, usually at Congress. Nominations may be made by any member of the Executive Board, by a Continental Federation or by a National Association. The recipient is a person, Continental Federation or National Association that has made a significant contribution to the growth and development of the sport at local, continental, national or international level, particularly but not limited to administration, and recognizing innovative ideas and selfless dedication to the sport. Financials This year we budgeted for a surplus of $19,878 and finished the year with a surplus of $20,217. Our Income was up by $18686 due to improved grants which enabled us to increase funding for Projects by $16000. This is the area that provides development funding to the members. In the 2013 budget we expect an income $137,600 with expenditure of $120,600 providing a surplus of $17,000. A number of attachments are being sent out with this report that will provide more financial details. The attachments are; P&L v Budget 2012 Balance Sheet Project Expenditure by Country Budget 2013 Graphs Showing Breakdown of Income and Expenditure 2012 Income - $149,436
4010 FIH Grants 4020 ONOC Grants 4040 Bank Interest 4090 Membership Dues 4150 Tournaments 4190 Reimbursed Expenses Expenditure - $129.219 6000 Oceania Administration 6010 OHF Projects 6100 CDO Contract & Expenses 6140 Gifts and Donations 6160 Dues and Subscriptions 6180 Insurance Mark Anderson queried the appointment process in regard to the OHF committees. Report taken as read - Carried Continental Development Officer Report HIGHLIGHTS 2012 London Olympic Games Australia Men winning a Bronze Medal and New Zealand Women 4 th. Visit of FIH President, Mr. Leandro Negre, to Oceania in December 2012 Hosting of the FIH World League Round 1, Suva Fiji December 2012 The participation of Vanuatu Women at the Oceania Pacific Cup & FIH World League Round 1 Tournament Significant appointments to elite world level events by Oceania umpires and technical officials. FIH HONORARY AWARDS These awards were announced and at the FIH Congress held in Malaysia October 2012.
FIH Honorary Member - Peter Cohen (AUS) At the FIH Congress, held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2012, Peter Cohen (AUS) became an FIH Honorary Member. This recognised his outstanding contribution and services to hockey. President s Award - New Zealand Hockey NZ received this award, which recognises service with indisputable benefits to hockey at international level. When India, original hosts of the FIH flagship tournament, Champions Trophy, were unable to fulfill their hosting obligations, Hockey New Zealand stepped in to pick up the event at short notice, delivering a memorable world class event. Etienne Glichitch Award - Australia Hockey Australia received this award, which recognises significant contribution service to the growth and development of hockey at local, continental, national and international level, particularly but not limited to administration, and recognising innovative ideas FIH COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS There are a significant number of Oceania members who have been elected to FIH Committees. This is very important for Oceania as it keeps the membership completely up with rule and competition changes, possible changes in FIH strategic direction. It also highlights the high calibre of personnel within the region. Executive Board Renita Garard AUS, Pam Elgar NZL FIH Committees Competitions Committee Ken Read AUS (Chair), Keith Gorringe NZL, Sarah Garnett NZL Umpiring Committee Jason McCracken NZL Rules Committee Richard Aggiss AUS, Ramesh Patel NZL Judicial Commission Don Davies AUS Risk and Compliance Committee Renita Garard AUS High Performance Paul Lissek AUS OHF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING This was held 26 February in Auckland. Office bearers elected for 2012: Ms. Pam Elgar (NZL) - President, Mr. Bob Claxton (AUS) - Secretary Treasurer, Mr. Kaluwin Potuan (PNG) - Vice President. As a result of discussion at the AGM it was agreed to increase the number of elected Executive members but this alteration would require a Constitution change and a Special General Meeting. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING The Special General Meeting, noted in the above section, was held in Suva, Fiji on 10 December 2012. This meeting was attended by FIH President Leandro Negre and all OHF Member Countries were represented. A key change was the need for a constitutional amendment. One of the critical areas resolved was an additional member onto the Executive to ensure wider representation, especially with increased workload of the Federation OPC MEMBER COUNTRY MEETING, FIH PRESIDENT VISIT Aligning with the Oceania Pacific Cup and the visit of FIH President Leandro Negre to the Oceania Region, the OHF members met on 10 December in Suva, Fiji with the FIH President. This meeting was significant as it was an opportunity for the members to present a representation of hockey in their country, their needs, and specific issues. FIH President Leandro Negre also took time to meet with Umpires and Officials emphasizing the support the FIH provides for officials at all levels. He also spent time at the tournament presenting Youth Leadership Certificates to youth volunteers active as ball kids, website reporters, result recorders and security duties during FIH World League Rd 1 in Suva during December. TOURNAMENTS: 2012 was an extremely busy year for all members with increased participation in all tournament levels youth, club, national, regional and international. The highlights were as follows: FIH & International Champions Trophy Women - Rosario, Argentina, 28 January - 5 February 2012
New Zealand - 6 th Olympic Games - London, England - 29 July - 11 August 2012 Men Australia - 3 rd - Bronze Medal New Zealand - 9 th Women New Zealand - 4 th Australia - 5 th Champions Challenge I Women - Dublin, Ireland - 28 September - 7 October 2012 Australia - 1 st - Gold Medal Champions Trophy Men Melbourne, Australia - 1-9 December 2012 Australia - 1 st - Gold Medal New Zealand - 7 th Continental FIH World League Round 1 - Suva, Fiji - 8-15 December The inaugural season of the FIH World League saw the Oceania leg Round 1 hosted by Fiji, in Suva, alongside the Oceania Pacific Cup Tournament. With the winner of the men s and women s competition gaining a berth at the FIH World League Round 2 Tournament, and a trip to Round 2 host country India, this added a heightened level of excitement to the event. World League Round 1 Men: 1. Fiji, 2. Papua New Guinea, 3. Vanuatu Women: 1. Fiji, 2.Papua New Guinea, 3. Samoa Oceania Pacific Cup - Suva, Fiji - 8-15 December The Fiji Hockey Federation hosted the event well with excellent media coverage. FIH recognized this tournament by allowing ranking points to be awarded for matches between OHF member nations. OPC Championship: Men: 1. Australia Country, 2. Fiji, 3. New Zealand Maori Women: 1. Fiji, 2. Australia Country, 3. New Zealand Maori Pacific Cup: (Highest ranked OHF Member Nation) Men: 1. Fiji, 2. Papua New Guinea, 3. Vanuatu Women: 1. Fiji, 2. Papua New Guinea, 3. Samoa, 4. Vanuatu OPC Plate: Men: Vanuatu Women: Samoa OFFICIALS Olympic Games Oceania was extremely well represented with a large contingent of officials selected to the London Olympics. Representing Oceania were 7 Umpires, 3 Umpire Managers, 2 Judges, 1 Assistant TD, and 2 on the Jury of Appeal. Appointment of Oceania Officials to International Tournaments It is important to acknowledge the calibre of umpires and technical officials from the Oceania region. As well as a stable of Elite Internationally Ranked Umpires, Oceania umpires continue to be ratified by FIH to officiate international fixtures. In 2012, 55 appointments to International Events were made to Oceania umpires, which was an increase from 31 in 2011.
FIH UMPIRES MEN WOMEN OUTDOOR 1. World Level 5 (3 AUS, 2 NZL) 2 (AUS) 2. World Development Panel 3. Grade 1 3 (2 AUS, 1 NZL) 2 (1 AUS, 1 NZL) 4. Promising Umpires 4 (2 AUS, 2 NZL) 5. International Umpires 6 (3 AUS, 3 NZL) 6 (4 AUS, 2 NZL) INDOOR 1. Grade 1 1 (AUS) 2. International 2 (AUS) Technical Officials (Tournament Directors, Umpire Managers, Judges, Medical Officers) Australia and New Zealand had 46 FIH appointments for technical official positions during 2012; this is a significant rise from 17 in 2011. Among these appointments were elite world level events which demonstrate the comprehensive accreditation process in place within the national associations. Notably, three of the six Umpire Managers appointed to the Olympic Games were from the Oceania region. At the Oceania Pacific Cup all of the 14 technical officials came from within Oceania. 2 Australia, 5 Fiji, 2- New Zealand, 4 - Papua New Guinea, 1 - Vanuatu. FIH UMPIRE MANAGERS MEN WOMEN OUTDOOR 2 (1 AUS, 1 NZL) 4 (3 AUS, 1 NZL) OHF COMMITTEE STRUCTURE The OHF Officiating Committee, gathered momentum in 2012 and began to develop a significant database of officials and umpires across the whole Continent. The most promising result of the work of this Committee, chaired by Craig Gribble (NZL), was the positive collaboration that occurred between the Australia and New Zealand and the sharing of knowledge. FIH also acknowledged the existence of this committee by consulting it, in the appointment of officials for FIH world and continental events. In 2012 a Competitions Committee was established to create more robust structures around the OHF Event Calendar. This committee is chaired by David Peebles (AUS) OHF MENTORING PROGRAMME This programme has gained momentum over the past year. With more developing members at continental tournaments the need to provide mentor support to the coaches and officials was recognised and mentors were used extensively at FIH World League Rd 1 to support the coaching staff of Samoa and Vanuatu. DEVELOPMENT VISITS AND MEETINGS The Continental Development Officer (CDO), Gill Gemming, had a very busy year supporting all the member countries. The key strategy taken in 2012 was to focus on competitions; particularly Youth competitions with appropriate formats are being developed and implemented. This proved an effective strategy with the development of Youth tournaments and Hockey 5 s being embraced by the island nations. The main methods of support this year have been through the availability to visit, resource development support, provision of used equipment, organising workshops and tournaments or gathering information or quotes on behalf of the members. COACHING, UMPIRING AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS Coaching and Umpiring Workshop - Apia Samoa -22 25 May 2012 Two workshops were held with the main focus being on rules and the interpretation of the rules. Video footage was utilized to help the understanding. A two hour practical coaching session occurred with national and U21 players, including a new goalkeeper with real potential. A session was held with the three national coaches to look at the modules involved with completing a OHF Level Coaching Course. A key focus of this visit was the engage schools in playing hockey. Six schools were visited with the aim of getting hockey accepted into the school sport programme for 2013. Coaching Level 2 - Apia Samoa 26 May 15 Dec 2012
Samoa National Coaches, who had all participated in earlier workshops, have been working remotely on their Level 2 certificates, under the guidance of the CDO. National Men s Coach, Faamausili Taiva Ah Young, has now completed the accreditation. This has been a successful initiative as the Coaches were provided with a mentor at continental events, to extend their knowledge. Coaching Workshop Level 1 - Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1-3 June 2012 This was a very successful workshop with 48 participants from eight regions. Topics included Understanding the Athlete, Coaching Process, Programme Management, Rules Awareness and Interpretations, Hockey Skills Appropriate to Athlete Age, Set Plays. Many of the participants took part as Coaches at the Papua New Guinea Games in Rabaul, so mentoring was provided as a follow up from the workshop. Vanuatu Coaching Workshop - Port Vila, Vanuatu 26-29 August 2012 John Mowat, Hockey Australia Coaching Manager, ran a successful coaching workshop and several practical sessions with the Vanuatu National Teams. John also took time to mentor new Development Officer Jenny Bowtell as well as meeting with the Vanuatu Hockey Executive Committee to look at ways that Hockey Australia could support future development. Technical Official Workshop - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea 18-23 November 2012 Two sessions were run in Rabaul prior to the start of competition for the Papua New Guinea Games. One of these was purely for the Officials who were either umpiring or judging during the competition, and the second session was open to all coaches, players and management involved in the Tournament. There were 52 participants over the course of the two sessions. OPC Umpire Mentoring - Suva, Fiji - 9-15 December 2012 Current International Umpire Manager, Craig Gribble (NZL), who had been at the 2012 Olympic Games, attended the OPC Tournament as a mentor. Craig and former international umpire, Lynette Farrell (NZL), were involved with the Umpires that were appointed to the tournament, working with them informally providing specific direct feedback and talking more generally from their experiences at world level events. YOUTH Oceania Hockey Federation has continued to promote youth participation programmes during 2012. During the month of June member countries were encouraged to be part of the Continental Youth Event 2012 Olympic Theme by creating festivals, running competitions and using national role models to promote youth hockey participation. Australia, Fiji and New Zealand all had comprehensive programmes. YOUTH OCEANIA EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME CHAMPIONS GIVE BACK The knowledge of this equipment exchange programme has become wide spread within the two senior members with significant contributions in 2012. Australia and New Zealand Masters were new contributors to the programme and their input was significant. Both organisations took touring teams (April & September) to Fiji and this not only provided competition but an exchange of equipment. Australia had experienced officials within their party, Robyn Bannerman and Peri Buckley, and they provided specialised equipment needed for officials. Australia Masters Men, contributed financial support to purchase a full set of 40 mouth guards, shin guards and new shoes to the Vanuatu national teams competing in World League Round 1. Election of Office Bearers for 2013 Report taken as read - Carried Vice President term 4 years Nominations Kaluwin Potuan (PNG) and Norman Same (Australia). Norman withdrew his nomination. Kaluwin Potuan elected unopposed Secretary General/Treasurer term 4 years Nomination Bob Claxton (Australia) elected unopposed
Ordinary Board member term 2 years Nomination Norman Same (Australia) elected unopposed Confirm the Federation s representative on the FIH Executive Board Under our constitution the President of OHF is the FIH Executive Board representative General Business Annual Subscription Fee for 2013 Fees proposed to remain at the same as 2012 Australia & New Zealand - AUD 1000 Other members AUD 50 Proposed Bob Claxton Seconded Kaluwin Potuan Carried President Pam thanked everyone for their attendance and closed the meeting at 1:35pm.